2.5 Data collection and questionnaire administration
The questionnaires were distributed during different working shifts to the randomly selected pharmacists whose names were initially identified. The survey was anonymous and voluntary. Upon fulfillment of the eligibility criteria, each identified participant was handed out a hardcopy of the questionnaire by the researchers after having signed a written informed consent. Participants were given the choice to fill-in the questionnaires at the time they were distributed to them or to return them later by hand. Reminders were sent to non-respondents after 2 and 4 weeks from the initial mass distribution using a general mailing list.
2.6 Data analyses
The data collected were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS® Software), version 20. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied for data analyses. All categorical variables including respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, items assessing competence and confidence on research activities and processes, and other attitudinal items are expressed as frequencies and percentages. The influence of the respondents’ demographic and professional characteristics on competence and confidence was tested using Chi Square or Fishers Exact tests as appropriate. The level of significance was set a priori at p ⩽ 0.05.
3 Results
Overall, a total of 120 pharmacists from seven major public hospitals in Qatar responded to the survey (67% response rate), with the majority (74%) holding a baccalaureate degree in pharmacy as the highest achieved level of pharmacy education. A large proportion of the respondents (40%) obtained their first professional degree in pharmacy from Egypt, while only 5% of them graduated from Qatar. Approximately 76% of the pharmacists surveyed have spent 10 years or less in hospital pharmacy practice. Table 1 provides detailed information on the demographic characteristics of the studied group.